Last Thursday night Stuart and I went to see I Love You, Now What? at the Park Theatre in London's glitzy Finsbury Park.
Quick review: It's a sharply drawn, authentic – and funny – exploration of grief and relationships.
Longer review: A recent health survey ranked both "death of a family member" and "change in a relationship" as in the top five most stressful life events. In its 75 minute running tme I Love You, Now What? tackles both.
Ava (comedian, TikToker, and writer Sophie Craig) has a one night stand with cheeky-chappy actor Theo (Ted Lasso star Andy Umerah) just as her father, Neil (Ian Puleston-Davies), is diagnosed with inoperable brain cancer. No spoilers. This is the opening.
As she grows closer to Theo, and her father's health worsens, Ava has to grapple with whether her new relationship can withstand the situation.
I Love You, Now What? is told through a series of vignettes, whiplashing from the excitement and devotion of new love to loss, resignation and despair. Both emotions are heightened by this contrast: Ava is persuaded to go for a coffee with her one-night-stand one moment, and the next she’s trying to convince her father to see a doctor.
Later, parallels emerge between fractious discussions with her therapist and her relationship with Theo coming under strain.
I wont give anything away but you can proably see where it is all going - as the audience leave the theatre at the end, an usher offers us of a box of tissues!
The play is funny as well, much like real-life tragedy. Actress and writer Sophie Craig cut her teeth in sketch comedy, giving her a knack for timing. The script fizzes with quickfire one-liners and knowing looks to audience, puncturing the tension without undermining the emotion. As the narrative progresses, this same aptitude ensures an emotionally devastating line is always on the horizon, and Craig knows just how to deliver it for maximum effect.
Craig’s own experience losing her father lends I Love You, Now What? honesty in its brutality. Shining a light on anticipatory grief – the powerless limbo between finding out someone is going to die and them actually dying – Ava’s experience is tragic.
Her indignation at everyone dancing around the reality of her father’s impending death is relatable. Her frustration with people arrogantly assuming they can help is profoundly human. This is a very believable grief.
Particularly gut-wrenching is Ava’s anger at everyone going back to normal: “as if the best person in the world hasn’t just died!”.
The Park Theatre 90-seater’s intimacy amplifies these emotions, as the audience glimpses a very private world. Clever sound and lighting bolster each scene’s emotional impact. The set-design is simple yet powerful, with Neil’s piano morphing into the rest of the set, serving as a tangible reminder of his illness and death which never leaves the stage.
Ian Puleston-Davies is particularly effective as Neil, conveying much to the audience without uttering a word. All three actors share impactful chemistry. A particular highlight is a pair of crossed arguments Ava has with Theo and her therapist (also played by Puleston-Davies), which take place simultaneously onstage. Outrage careers across the set, underscoring Ava’s feeling of being buffeted from all sides.
For a show focusing on the impact grief has on a relationship, Theo can at times feel like a prompt for Ava’s exposition rather than a main character. This is a shame: it would be interesting to hear his perspective on attempting to do right by Ava. The therapy scenes also feel a little rushed, denying the audience full insight into Ava working through her emotions. Adding an extra 10 minutes to the running time would round the story out more fully.
Nevertheless, I Love You, Now What? remains a powerful examination of vulnerability in relationships, asking whether being open to so much pain is really worth it. A strong cast, snappy script and impeccable observations of the very human experience of grief yield a rollercoaster of emotion that is well worth your time.
⭐️⭐️⭐️
